Welfare-friendly Labels Proposed in the UK

November 30, 2006 — 

The United Kingdom's Environment Secretary David Miliband has proposed that meat and dairy products carry a label signifying the level of welfare under which the animals were raised.

His proposal would establish a labeling system for European products as well as those imported from outside Europe. One system under scrutiny is a gold, silver or bronze coronet to appear on labels. Gold would signify the highest animal welfare standards, while bronze would imply that the farm complied with basic requirements.

There was no discussion of how the "standards" would be established or how compliance would be monitored. However, it was proposed that anyone flouting the welfare rules, or labeling foods falsely, would face prosecution.

Source:
The Times (London), November 29, 2006